A better term for the condition is meatal web. True meatal stenosis occurs mostly after hypospadias surgery.

Meatal webs occur in about 7% of patients after neonatal circumcision. Meatal webs are thought to originate from diaper irritation of the head of the penis and the urethral meatus mucosa. A “web” then develops to protect the delicate urethral meatus mucosa which can cause deflection of the urinary stream and a visible small urethral opening. Irritation in this area can also cause “scab crusting” of the urethral meatus with complete occlusion of the opening that is released with each urination, usually with some discomfort.

Meatal webs are not life-threatening and are not associated with serious problems like urinary tract infections, bladder obstruction or kidney damage. They are mostly a nuisance since the child is not able to void standing up without making a mess. If untreated the problem resolves itself by puberty, since we never see meatal membranes in post-pubertal boys.

Soft penile adhesions, penile skin bridges, and concealed penis.

A concealed penis occurs when the head of the penis telescopes inside the foreskin after a circumcision, with the circumcision line, then contracting over the head of the penis. Children with “excessive” suprapubic fat pad that causes the penis to “hide” are susceptible to this complication:

The 3 moves to prevent the most common neonatal circumcision complications:

Retract foreskin until the entire corona is visible

Clean with wipe around the corona

Apply vaseline around circumcision, and head of the penis including the opening of the urethra.

Based on the study referenced above, I recommend doing these 3 steps with diaper changes for the first 6 months of life.

If the above was practiced by all families in the USA, close to 100,000 meatotomies (most of them under general anesthesia) could be avoided per year. A similar amount of lysis of post-circumcision adhesions, which again are mostly done under anesthesia, could also be avoided. Meatotomies and lysis of penile adhesions can be done under topical anesthesia nevertheless.